64 THE QUEENS COURIER • THANKSGIVING • NOVEMBER 16, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
thanksgiving
Fresh fl avor with new uses for seasonal ingredients
When the weather cools, do your cravings
turn toward peppermint? Or perhaps
the approaching holidays are priming
your palate for pumpkin and gingerbread.
Some fl avors and ingredients
just seem to go naturally with the season.
While time-honored culinary traditions
will always have a place in our seasonal
celebrations, mix things up this year
by using familiar ingredients in non-traditional
ways.
From snack foods to main dishes, a
variety of ingredients can lend themselves
to culinary exploration this holiday season.
Here are a few ideas to help you get
creative with well-loved traditional ingredients:
Not just for snacking
Sure, you’ve heard of replacing bread
crumbs with crumbled crackers in holiday
recipes, but did you know pretzels
can punch up a variety of seasonal dishes?
From pumpkin muffi ns that get a savory
spike to savory turkey stuffi ng, pretzels
can add fl avor and interest far beyond the
snack bowl. Pretzels make a great ingredient
not only for their familiar, appealing
fl avor, but also because they’re naturally
low in fat and calories.
Sprouting creativity
Few foods shout “fall” and “holidays” as
clearly as pumpkin. Whether perched on
your front step as a jack o’ lantern or gracing
your holiday buff et in pies and muffi
ns, pumpkin is a quintessential ingredient
of the season. But when it comes
time to incorporate pumpkin in your
holiday meal-planning, it pays to look
beyond the pie plate. Pumpkin can serve
as a basis for appetizers, sides and main
dishes. From soups to pasta, casseroles to
omelets, pumpkin is a nutrient-rich, fl avorful
ingredient.
Cavorting with candy
Candy corn to candy canes, candy treats
make the fi nal months of the year that
much sweeter. Peppermint is, of course,
to the holidays as elves are to Santa, but
don’t imagine that this versatile mint fl avoring
is only appropriate in candies
and pricey coff ee shop mochas. Paired
with garlic, fresh peppermint leaves add
zing to pastas. Mystifi ed as to what to
do with left over Halloween candy corn
or candy pumpkins? Try adding them to
your s’mores. What would holiday baking
be without chocolate? But Americans’
second-favorite fl avor can also pop up in
main dishes, like chili, sloppy joes, chicken
and salmon.
Sweet harvest time
Apples are a favorite fall harvest fruit,
and what better way to make them the
start of fall celebrations than by putting
some on a stick and dipping them in caramel?
Yet neither ingredient - apples or
caramel - need be limited to the realm
of sticky treats. In addition to apple pie,
popovers and cake, you may have experienced
apple in stuffi ng. Yet apples play
well with a host of other fl avors, including
main dish staples of the holidays,
like turkey, pork, chicken and even beef.
Caramelization as a cooking process
turns veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes
into yummy side dishes. But caramel
can also enhance main dishes, like pork
chops, cod or chicken.
Try this savory recipe for pretzel stuff -
ing:
Pretzel Stuffi ng
Ingredients:
• 1 6-ounce package of long grain or
wild rice, prepared according to package
directions
• 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms, sauteed
• 1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed
• 1 12-ounce package link sausage,
browned and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 cups sourdough pretzels, broken into
1/2-inch pieces, crumbs removed
• 4 cups stuffi ng croutons, seasoned or
unseasoned
• 1 cup chicken broth, added to out-ofbird
stuffi ng only
• Salt, pepper and sage to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a very large
bowl and fi ll chicken or turkey cavity.
Place remaining stuffi ng in a casserole
dish, add chicken broth and baste with
pan drippings or chicken broth. Cover
with foil and place in oven for one hour.
Remove cover 10 to 15 minutes before
end of cooking time to create crispy texture.
Courtesy BPT